World

31 dead after fire

Ukrainian government supporters dig for stones during a clash with pro-Russians in the Black Sea port of Odessa, Ukraine, Friday, May 2, 2014. (AP Photo/Sergei Poliakov)

Police in the Ukrainian city of Odesa say 31 people have died as the result of a building fire that broke out during a clash between pro-Russia demonstrators and supporters of the central government in Kyiv.

The statement said the fire broke out in a trade union building on Friday, but did not give details on how it started. An earlier police statement put the death toll at 38; it was not clear why the figure was revised.

Police earlier said at least three people had died in a clash between the two sides.

Until now, Odesa, a key port on Ukraine's southern Black Sea coast, had largely been free of the unrest that is gripping eastern parts of Ukraine in recent weeks.

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